Through the Hardships
by Jarlos
Summary: Synopsis: Carlos and his family are poverty stricken, and ever since their father died, they've been living a difficult life. And to make things worse, Carlos will have to deal with more problems. Eventual Jarlos. I suck at summaries- just R&R.
1. Chapter 1: Intro

Sooo, I just came up with this story in my head, and I felt like writing it. It'll be a multi-chapter story. Because I'm at a writer's block on my other Jarlos story. Sorry guys.

**This story has nothing to do with the show Big Time Rush, but names are going to stay the same. **

_**Synopsis: Carlos and his family are poverty stricken, and ever since their father died, they've been living a difficult life. And to make things worse, Carlos will have to deal with more problems as the story progresses. **_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush, yadayada. But I do own my thoughts, thank you lawwd.**

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><p>"You can't catch me old lady!" A young boy with olive skin yelled aloud. How different he was, with his tattered clothes, scratched up helmet- which was perched above tuffs of black unruly hair, and to top it all off were litters of bruises and cuts that marred creamy caramel skin. At a ripe age of thirteen, this unique boy had a name, and his name was-<p>

"_Carlos_! You get back here you ruffian! Return what you stole!" An elder women's voice rang through the streets around the outskirts of Minnesota.

"Only if you can catch me!" replied the small Latino boy. He grinned and dodged trashcans and light posts maneuvering his way through the town like he was used to this sort of establishment. What he didn't recall was a small patch of ice that he managed to slip on, and a wail of pain sufficed.

"HAH! I've caught you red handed, delinquent!" Carlos sulked as he was being raised from the ground by the collar of his thin jacket. "I'm bringing you back to return those goods you hear!" The woman then proceeded to grab onto his wrist and drag him towards the small convenient store that closely resembled a 7/11's store.

"Okay, I'm going to let go of your hand, if you run away, I'll definitely call the cops." The forty-nine year old spoke and made eye contact with the tiny bundle of nerves that was in her grasp. His head shook vigorously in agreement.

Releasing her grasp, she went to the other side of the counter, not even worried that the boy could easily run out the door. She was already familiar with him; there was no need for formalities.

"Okay, let's see what you got this time boy." The woman named Bertha looked down at the dirty ragged boy who just answered with a laugh.

"I wasn't really successful today." Carlos let out a weary smile and carried on with taking out numerous snacks and candies from his pockets.

"What makes you say that?" The brunette with strands of grey asked and took the products back eyeing them for damage. Her eyes going back and forth between the food and the boy.

"Heh, I got caught didn't I? ….Well, that's it…" He sighed as he took out the last Twinkie from his back pocket.

"Oooh," an amazed gaze looked on top of the counter, "you happened to get four donuts, three fruit smackers, and two Twinkie's in that short time? You're getting better." Sylvia snickered and grabbed the items walking around to place them back in their designated place.

"But I still got caught….. Well, can I go now?" Carlos whined and drew out the w in _now_ to emphasize his pitiful cry. His body swung back and forth in boredom.

"Yeah, whatever, you can go you little snot," Carlos then pivoted towards the door, "Oh! And Carlos," he stopped dead in his tracks slowly turning his head,

"Yes?"

"You can keep the two fruit smackers in your helmet." Carlos then blushed and turned away heading out the door grumbling a low thank you to the kind woman. The old woman gave one last pitiful glance at the young in and watched him turn around the corner. "Poor boy…" her eyes traveled to the fruit smacker in her hand, then gave a final huff and put it in its shelf.

**_.-x0x-._**

Carlos walked briskly towards his home. Living in the somewhat dangerous neighborhood wasn't good for young kids, especially when it was late in the afternoon, the time where crazy people come out, or so he was told.

"Hey penis! Come here!" Shocked and terrified, Carlos didn't even attempt to turn to the owner of that voice, because he knew all too well of the man who terrorized him ever since he was little. Sprinting down the street he made a sharp turn only to hear the bully's words of, "Let's get him!"

As fast as he was, a thirteen year old wasn't capable of out running three overgrown teens of eighteen. Getting trapped in an alley, he was at a dead end; panic began to rise in the Latino boy. Foot steps were dead on his trail coming up behind him. He was too frightened to turn.

"Finally caught the little lamb." The head of the group said in breathy words. He heard the other two chuckle and felt one of them grab onto his shoulder and turn him around. Carlos was literally about to pee himself.

"Pff, not so strong without your stupid father huh? What a weak bastard-," Carlos as scared as he was, felt his blood boil at this and punched the minion in the stomach, who crumbled and curled at the pain.

"D-DON'T EVER SPEAK L-LIKE THAT ABOUT M-M-MY PAPI!" Carlos screamed in rage only to get socked in the face and fall by Joseph, his worst nightmare and leader of the gang.

"Oohh~ you have a little fight in ya hmm?" Joseph gripped the front of Carlos shirt bringing him face to face and pushing him against a wall. Tears, snot, and blood poured down the weak little boy's features. An arm extended backwards, getting ready to strike, until he was stopped with, "No, let me do it."

Kick after punch after kick after punch. Hands and feet pummeled the pitiful boy who didn't deserve this cruel punishment all because of where he lived. Finally when he thought it was all over, Joseph leaned down and tapped his helmet, "You lucky shit, you're fortunate you have this." And with that, he kicked the side of Carlos head. But as he said, he was lucky to have his helmet. With a final spit to the face, the gang left the broken boy in the dark alley.

Seconds turned to minutes, which turned to an hour, and Carlos still hadn't risen. Opening his eyes, and blinking at the darkness, it seems that he passed out from the pain and woke up only moments ago.

"Oh no, got to get home….I-I have to…." Slowly and carefully, every inch of his body screamed in agony. Tears were forming once again, "Got…got…to keep..moving." Leaning on the wall for support, he dragged his body with what was left of his strength back to his house.

**_.-x0x-._**

"HERMANO! BROTHER! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!" Antonio screeched as he opened the house door to come face to face with what could almost be called a zombie.

Putting an arm around Antonio's neck, the twelve year old hoisted his brother up the small step and supported him to the living room, laying him carefully on the sofa.

"JAVI! Get the aid kit!" Anthony looked down at his brother, with a stern look on his face. "Carlos, what happened? Dios mio, look at you. We have to take you to the hospital!"

"..no.." was the sad excuse for a response, "we-…we don't.. have the money idiot…call Andres...for me.." Carlos spoke and grunted as he adjusted himself in a more suitable position.

"Tsk. ANDRES!" Calling out, Javi came with the first aid kid and looked over to Carlos. "Carlos! What happened!" He kneeled down besides his second eldest brother and stared worriedly at Antonio.

"Is he going to be okay!" the nine year old directed his question to Antonio only to have gotten the response from Carlos.

"Dork….I'll be fine. Just start patching me up won't ya?" Carlos attempted to stifle a smile but couldn't even bring himself to grin because of his bruised and swollen cheeks. Suddenly young little Andres walked in with his action figure in hand. The six year old rushed towards his oldest brother's side and nearly cried.

"Shhh…I'm okay..." Carlos raised his left hand slowly and gently pats Andres and Javi on the head while Antonio cleaned the wounds on his feet.

"Psst…Andres, take off my helmet…please?" The youngest nodded and carefully took off the protective gear, and watched as two fruit smackers fell down. With a gasp he grabbed both and looked at Carlos' face.

"That's right buddy…got it for you…but share with Javi." Carlos winked, and gave a surprised yell as Andres gave him a quick hug.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM YET!" A frustrated Antonio belched out as he was the only one diligently working on repairing the broken brother. "Guys! Go to your room! You're bothering me!" his tone only getting more irritated at the sound of rustling of the candy wrapper. Listening to their brother, the two youngest left going upstairs to their shared room.

The living room was filled with a heavy tension, and Carlos broke the silence by quietly speaking the story of what occurred earlier. Antonio slowed his pace as he was working at Carlos arms.

"He made fun of papi? THOSE DAMN BASTARDS!" Antonio cried out as tears fell, "IT'S NOT HIS FAULT HE GOT SHOT, DAMNIT!"

"Shhhh! Antonio! It's alright, calm down!" Carlos winced as he attempted to lean up and reassure his overly matured brother. Antonio sniffled and immediately wiped away the residue of his face and started removing Carlos jacket and shirt.

"Bro….they got you real bad." A frown found its way to Anthony's face as he stared at the dark purple and blue bruises that were on his brother's chest.

"Yeah…they did." Carlos slouched as Anthony accomplished wrapping the gauze around his torso and continued working on repairing Carlos by moving to his final destination, which was Carlos' face.

"So…mom hasn't come home yet?" the eldest boy asked as he cringed when the younger brother dabbled his eyebrow, cleaning the blood and dirt. Still not receiving an answer, Carlos looked at his brother who was clearly focused more on healing his face than talking.

"Of course not, I was yelling earlier wasn't I?" Antonio looked at Carlos with a 'duh' ready to come out of his mouth. But he resisted after looking over Carlos' wounds.

"Good….I don't want to worry her. She's finally found a job…. And I don't want her to have another heart-attack when she sees me." The two boys gave out a bitter laugh, when in fact; it really wasn't good to make their mother stressed, after all the problems she went through.

Finally finishing up tending to Carlos wounds, Antonio cleaned up and stalked his way towards the bathroom, leaving Carlos to have time for himself. All too knowingly that he was never given the satisfaction of having his own personal time, ever since their father died- the two youngest looked up to Carlos and Antonio, needing them for reassurance that everything was alright. Once out of the living room, the oldest brother of the four young boys closed his eyes and let tears fall freely.

He brought one of his bandaged hands to wipe the tears away. He needed to be strong for his family, if he wasn't, then he'd have to leave it all to his brother, and Carlos just couldn't bear to look at how the twelve year old had already changed. More tears fell, the thought of his father made his heart clench, and ever since the incident that happened two years ago, nothing has ever been the same. His brother Antonio never smiled anymore and kept the house intact; his second youngest brother who had been seven at the time became anti-social and didn't want to hang with his outer friends, and his youngest brother Andres was too young to think about the severity of what happened. But then realized whenever he asked for his father, no one would say anything, he caught on. Let's not forget about their mom. She just broke, wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, and even forgot about her sons that needed her comfort, love, and support. They were given none.

The boys' mother, Sylvia, never even glanced at them during the time. A year later she had gotten better and cried her heart out saying apologies to the boys for not taking care of them. Now she finally has gotten two jobs, making her work twenty-four seven. She rarely went home, but always left money on the counter for food and she always left a sticky note that said, "I love you." Which was good enough for the boys, for it filled the small void she had created when she ignored them.

Carlos stared at their dirty ceiling, noticing the orangey brown substance knowing that it was probably a leak from when the snow melted and seeped through the paint and brittle wood. With a sigh, the house phone rang, and with all his might, stood up and grabbed the phone that was attached to the wall.

Using the wall as a support, he played with the phone cord and asked with a raspy voice a, "Hello?"

"Carlos is that you sweetie?" the boy would have smiled if it weren't for the bandages on his face.

"ABUELITA!" Carlos shouted ecstatically, the rest of the brothers ran at this, all wanting to speak to their grandma.

"I want to speak to her!" Antonio claimed and stretched his arm for the phone. Their grandparents were the only ones who would make Antonio this happy and gladly transferred the phone to him.

"Me too!" Javi and Andres said in synchronization, both attacking Antonio for the phone.

"Guys! GUYS! Stop it! Basta!" Carlos smacked all of their heads, "Look! I'll put it on speaker, for Christ's sake!" He exasperated and clicked the speaker button, and swiped the phone from Javi's hands and placed it back in its socket.

"My, my! How lively you all sound! How are you my neitos?" their granny asked and received much love from their replies.

"We're fine abuelita!" Carlos laughed. Antonio even if it was for a second, smiled and then looked back to his feet.

The boys spoke to their grandma with stories of how everything has been, and they were all replied with affectionate answers. If it weren't for their grandparents, they wouldn't have been living in their house, and Javi and Andres wouldn't have been able to go to school. Antonio and Carlos had their mom paying their school fee, because Sylvia didn't want all the support from the parent's of their dead son.

"How's your mom?" Antonio looked to Carlos and shook his head.

"She's been doing okay. She's really taking good care of us!" Antonio responded.

"Are you sure? The last time we checked, she wasn't doing a good job." Their grandmother asked in a worried tone.

"She has! She has!" Carlos attempted to make it convincing when it was obviously a lie. The boys had been wearing dirty clothes for the past week, and had been eating take out food since forever, it would've been nice to have a home-cooked meal once in a while. But their mother was just too busy.

"Alright, well me and your abuelito will be coming over there next week to check up on you guys, okay?" They all agreed and were jumping from excitement from the announcement. This meant, cooked food, gifts, and a lot of affection that the boys well needed.

Hanging up the phone, Antonio and Carlos gave each other a high-five, earning an 'ow' and a 'sorry'.

"Well, until then, let's all go to sleep alright? It's already-" Carlos looked at the alarm clock that was set on the table, "11:42."

Javi and Andres complained saying that it was only Saturday. But Carlos wouldn't take no for any answer, and told them to march up those stairs. The two youngest slumped their heads and went up stairs in resignation.

"You too." Carlos said to Antonio.

"Yeah….let's go." Grabbing Carlos' helmet, Antonio gave his brother some assistance up the stairs. They headed towards their shared room and passed the bathroom as well as the little ones' room. Arriving at the room, Carlos stumbled over a heap of clothes at the door and fell safely into bed.

"Auuuughhhh." Carlos let out a deep painful groan.

"Sorry bro. Forgot to clean." Antonio set Carlos helmet aside and went to his own bed on the other side of the room. "You should really change your clothes. You'll stink up your bed."

Listening to his brother's words, sitting up, he removed his shirt and khaki's tossing them to the messy pile of clothes close to the door and grabbed a random shirt besides the bed and gave a quick sniff. He supposed it was clean and put it on. Lying back down, he tucked himself in, attempting to sleep but ended up staring at the ceiling once again.

"Anthony…you asleep?" Carlos turned on his side and scrunched his face for putting too much pressure on his bruised arm.

"No.." Antonio turned to his side to stare at Carlos. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm going to get a job…" Mouth agape, Antonio looked at Carlos as if he were crazy.

"Are you loco? You're only thirteen. No one's going to hire a thirteen year old, stupid!" Antonio hissed out.

"So much for letting me tell you what's on my mind." Carlos shifted to the wall, his back towards Antonio.

"But, why?"

"So mom won't have such a hard time." Head turning slightly to project his voice towards his brother.

"Like I said, no one's going to hire a thirteen year old."

"I'll do anything….even if it's something simple like shoveling snow." Carlos returned to his back position, being relieved as he was in such a relaxed position.

With a sigh, Antonio agreed, and to lock their agreement, they gave each other a knuckle punch to seal the deal. "Just don't do anything stupid alright? Promise?" Antonio stared at Carlos' profile and saw his face turn direction to him.

"Mhmm…promise..." And with that, the two boys fell into a dreamless sleep.

_**_.-x0x-._**_

Batting his eyelashes, Carlos winced at the bright rays of sunshine that beamed through the slits of their window folds. Checking over his brother, he was still sleeping. Might as well let him rest, they slept really late. Teeth clattered together as Carlos exposed himself to the cold Minnesota air, and contemplated whether or not he'd get back into his comfy warm bed. Warm feet met cold wooden floors, which caused Carlos to immediately put on a pair of black tube socks, and grab a jacket from their shared closet.

"G-G-Gotta make b-b-breakfast." His limbs were frozen, and his bruises were making him numb. Fighting the cold, he went downstairs as quiet as he could and went to the kitchen. Looking at the countertop he discovered a sticky note above money and knowing what the note had written, he continued to read it. The words 'I love you' were written and he couldn't help but smile when he noticed the little kiss mark on the bottom.

"Love you too mom.." Carlos said to the silence and brought the note to his lips, gently placing a small kiss above his mothers.

Stretching his arms above his head, he rapidly curled and clutched his ribs. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" He nearly forgot that he was beaten up, but the sudden realization made his whole body hurt. Oh gosh, he hated that the most. Carlos hated whenever he noticed a bruise, his mind would focus too much on it and make it start to feel painful.

"Aww, whatever. Stupid Joseph, and his stupid lackeys…" Carlos looked at the money and then too the clock on the microwave. "6:24…hmmm."

Looking within their small refrigerator, he opened the egg carton only to see no eggs within. "Aw man. No eggs….no breakfast." Tossing away the empty egg case, he headed back upstairs to change his clothes.

Quietly getting into his room, he found Antonio still asleep. Looking down at his feet, he noticed the dirty and wet clothes that he was wearing yesterday. A frown found its way to his face, but then pushed it aside and looked in their closet.

"….sorry Anthony….got to borrow your clothes…" Carlos said in a hushed voice and grabbed a long-sleeved sweatshirt, an undershirt, a fresh pair of tube socks, a pair of jeans that were his brothers, and a thick jacket. His feet glided on the wood due to his socks, and before leaving the room to go to the bathroom, grabbed his helmet from the floor.

Carlos looked at his own reflection and removed his old bandages and replaced them with new ones. His face was looking better, and his bruised cheeks weren't swollen anymore, but they were a deep purple color. Giving his face one more quick check, he placed ointment and covered it with cotton and tape. Grinning at his own appearance, he was reminded of his father.

"_Hijo. Remember this alright, no matter how hard it gets, always smile alright? That's what real men do!" a 10 year old Carlos stared up at his father who was currently placing a band-aid on his elbow. "Good thing though, you were wearing your helmet!" His father's hearty laugh rang through his ears. "Now let's get you back on that bike!" _

Carlos' smile only got bigger, and he cleaned away the tears that seemed to have fallen. And with that, he finished changing, put on his helmet, and went downstairs. He left a note on the counter saying, 'Gone to store to buy some eggs,' and grabbed the money along with a scarf, and some mittens.

At the door, he placed on his snow boots, seized his bike and headed out to the market. The freezing cold bit at his exposed skin, making him bring the scarf higher up his face. Once at the market, he brought in his bike and put it in the corner; he was then welcomed by the store's manager.

"Hey Carlos, how are you dear?"

"Oh hi Kelly! I'm just here to buy some eggs." He smiled at the kind woman who would always acknowledge his presence. Hence, he's never attempted to steal from the store.

"Alright, sweetie. I'll be at stall 3, if you want me to ring you up." She smiled down at the young boy and walked away.

After snatching a dozen eggs, he followed through and went to Kelly's stall. As soon as she scanned the product, and collected the money, Kelly gave Carlos some extra goods.

"Here you go sweetie, here's an extra aid kit and here's some sandwich's I made earlier. Share them with your brother." Like an angel sent from above Carlos eyes widened and refused pushing the items back into her hands.

"Oh! I can't! I shouldn't, I don't have enough for it!" Carlos rushed his words and tried to leave, but as he was getting his bike upright, Kelly had already put the goodies in a plastic bag and shoved it into Carlos hands. "Kelllyyyyyy."

"Carlosssss. It's alright. You guys just take care of yourselves alright?" She leant forwards and tapped Carlos' nose, and gave him a light peck on the forehead.

With a high pitched squeal, Carlos thanked Kelly and hurriedly left the store, a light blush on his face. It seemed as if he had a light crush on the dark skinned beauty. Forgetting to look at both sides of the street, a black limo appeared out of nowhere and screeched to a halt as Carlos nearly got hit at the stop sign. Carlos fell from his bike, but got back up. Rather than being startled, he was pissed off.

"Stupid car! Watch where you're going!" with that said, Carlos kicked the front of the car and scurried away on his bike back to his house. Not knowing that this limo would be the beginning of greater problems.

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><p><strong>dun Dun DUUUUN. Ahaha, left you with a cliffhanger.<strong>

**Yup, no James yet. Sorry guys, but if you want me to continue this story, I need your reviews to know whether or not I should. ): Also, sorry that it's lengthy, I thought that I should start growing up and writing more. Cause I certainly like reading lengthy chapters from stories I like...so...yeah...**

**Hope you enjoyed~**


	2. Chapter 2: Wait Playmate?

**Okay so...I REEEEAAAALLLY had this idea stuck in my head. SO YEAH. Ch.2 is out. Ahahaha. Still at a brain fart for my other story. Sorry once again.**

**Mmmmmmmk. Well hopefully this won't suck as hard. ): Cause I didn't really proofread it. So watch out for bad grammar and mistakes!**

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><p><strong>Earlier:<strong>

_With a high pitched squeal, Carlos thanked Kelly and hurriedly left the store, a light blush on his face. It seemed as if he had a light crush on the dark skinned beauty. Forgetting to look at both sides of the street, a black limo appeared out of nowhere and screeched to a halt as Carlos nearly got hit at the stop sign. Carlos fell from his bike, but got back up. Rather than being startled, he was pissed off._

_"Stupid car! Watch where you're going!" with that said, Carlos kicked the front of the car and scurried away on his bike back to his house. Not knowing that this limo would be the beginning of greater problems._

**_-_o0+o-**

On his way back, he took a couple detours and arrived safely towards his destination. Getting up the patio, the door automatically swung open and a scantily dressed Andres came out and hugged his waist.

"Hey…did you miss me?" Carlos asked and stroked his youngest brother's hair.

"Mhmmm…." Andres mumbled, while Carlos felt his head moving up and down against his chest. He enjoyed the warmth of his baby brother defrosting his numb limbs.

"Well go inside now, okay? It's freezing out here, and you're wearing nothing but your pajamas!" Carlos pushed Andres inside and just left his bike out in the open on their front yard. It wasn't like anybody was going to steal it, really.

"Finally you're back. I'm hungry." Antonio said aloud from the dinner table.

"Yeah, I know. You're always hungry. What do you guys want?" Carlos asked removing his thick jacket and placed it on the counter.

"What we usually have?"

"Alright genius." The helmeted boy drawled out. "That'll be two scrambled and two sunny si-" before even finishing his sentence Carlos opened the egg carton to find several cracked eggs. "What in the…" but then he remembered the sudden occurrence when he was knocked aside. "Shit."

"Carlos!" Surprised at his brother's change of language, Antonio gave him a stern glare because Javi and Andres were present.

"S-sorry." Carlos turned his back on them and closed the egg case and set it aside.

"Bro, is everything alright?" Antonio questioned and started getting up from his seat until his brother twisted around.

"Yeah! Actually, Kelly made us some sandwich's!" A sigh of relief left his lips as he almost forgot. "Here we go." He walked to the table and sat in his designated seat and took out four plastic wrapped items and placed one in front of each brother.

Antonio continued to stare at his brother, and then shook it off once given his share. Unwrapping the plastic, Antonio placed the sandwich in his mouth and his taste buds soared. "OH MFF GWAD. CWAWLOS YOU SHWULD TWY IT."

"Speak when you're mouth isn't full. That's disgusting." Carlos stared at Antonio and gave him a disturbed face. Antonio swallowed and looked away from embarrassment and watched the two youngest enjoying their shares.

Carlos rolled his eyes at how his brother acted, but once he took a bite out of his, he finally understood. "OH MF GWAD UWR WIGHT." Antonio turned back and grinned at his brother.

"You should really speak when you're mouth isn't full. That's disgusting." Antonio said mockingly, just to rub it in Carlos' face. Humiliated Carlos punched his brother in the arm and took another bite until he heard the doorbell ring.

"Hmmm?" Getting up, Carlos headed to the door, and gave a quick peek out of the side window, because he wasn't tall enough to reach the peep hole.

Surely enough, a black limousine was parked in front. "Oh no."

"Who is it?" Antonio walked in from behind.

"No one!" Carlos spread his arms blocking the door with his back against it. He looked completely vulnerable, and very suspicious.

"Carlos!" Antonio stared wide-eyed as he saw the black limousine outside the window, "WHAT DID YOU DO!"

Another ring from the doorbell came, "OKAY, I KICKED THEIR CAR. BUT I SWEAR I DIDN'T LEAVE A SCRATCH!" Carlos started to panic.

"Damnit!" the second eldest brother yelled. Both panicking when the rings turned to knocking. "J-just open it." Antonio said in defeat.

Slowly, Carlos unlocked the door and opened it to a black man who towered over his small structure. Shrinking from fright, he grasped Antonio and hugged the life out of him until he heard a woman's voice.

"That would be good for now, Freight Train, thank you." Then from the back of the tall man, a beautiful middle aged woman walked in abruptly and sat in their living room couch. She just waltzed in uninvited.

"Boys sit." The woman waved her hand to make the two come over to the living room, which they did. It's either this strange woman, or 'Freight Train', which one would you pick?

They sat across this unnamed person on a one person chair, but big enough to fit all four of the boys. Javi and Andres taking up a handle, with Carlos and Antonio seated in the middle, all the while the woman took up the whole couch by herself, rude.

"So, you're Sylvia's kids I presume." The woman folded her legs and placed both her hands on her knee, emitting a sign of authority.

"Y-yeah…." Carlos spoke out wearily, "but aren't you here because I kicked your car? If so, I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to do that! If it's any consolation, you broke my eggs!"

"Haha, no child, but that was you?" She laughed and pushed a strand back from her short hair and looked at Carlos. "Oh yes, I suppose it was?" Her eyes traveled to the helmet on his head. "Doesn't matter, Carlos right?"

"Yes…."

"Do you know what you're mother did?" Antonio and Carlos turned and stared at each other.

"N-no, b-but we're really really really sorry on her behalf!" Antonio spoke and leaned forward.

"I wish it were that easy honey, but what you're mom did was a bit irresponsible, and we can't take this lightly." Her smile then turned to an immovable frown.

"Can we know who you are though?" Javi asked, but was shushed by Carlos and Antonio, even though both were wondering the same thing.

"Sure you can. My name is Brooke Diamond, owner and producer of Diamond Cosmetics." Antonio's mouth dropped while Carlos looked at him confused. Was she really that important?

Whispering in Carlos ear, apparently Brooke Diamond was very famous and was very successful, but there was one thing that lingered in Carlos head when told this information.

"Uhm, what do you have to do with my momma then?" Carlos asked, his brows furrowed.

Everything went quiet. Seriousness placed on the woman's face as well as Carlos and Antonio's. "Your mom- well let me get to the point. Your mom stole a large sum of our company's money. She was our best worker too, to be honest. I never thought she would commit something like this. And I'm here merely to receive compensation. But taking a good look at this place, that notion is gone." Her wandering eyes crossed the small living room.

"MOMMA WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Andres yelled and ran going upstairs to his room.

"Andres!" Carlos shouted, "I'm sorry for that… but he's right, our mom wouldn't do something like that." Carlos faced Brooke once again. "She was even here this morning." He replied as if in a matter of fact.

"Did you see her?" Mrs. Diamond questioned and leaned further into the couch, hands crossing over her chest.

"No, but-" Carlos was interrupted.

"Did she do anything unusual? Out of the ordinary?" Another question was asked.

Carlos grimaced, "No! She hasn't! She even left us the same note everyday, look!" The thirteen year old stood and took out the folded sticky note from his pocket. "Here! It clearly says 'I love you,' she even kissed it! She has never-" He stopped, realization dawning over him. "She kissed it…"

"Oh. I see. Is that different?" she asked, her attitude unchanging.

"She's….she has never kissed her notes before…." Tears weld up in his eyes. Antonio already stood and grasped Carlos shoulders.

"No, this has to be some kind of mistake." Antonio spoke. Javi had long since left the room, not wanting to hear anymore.

"You poor dears. Do you know whether or not your mom is keeping a secret cell phone perhaps?" How cruel could she get? Not bothering how this was affecting them, she still continued with her questions.

"H-how much?" Carlos asked, his voice wavering because he was in the midst of crying.

"Excuse me?"

"HOW MUCH! HOW MUCH DID MY MOM TAKE, I'LL WORK FOR YOU!" Carlos screamed and surprised the cosmetic founder along with his brother who was standing behind him.

"Oh boy, sweetheart, she stole half a million dollars… Do you know how much that is? That's $500,000." Carlos looked up and stared at her face to see if she wasn't lying. She wasn't.

"But, h-how can she even steal that much? You would've noticed!" Carlos began to scream once again. "It's you're fault!"

"Carlos calm down." Antonio said.

"NO!" The eldest shoved his brother who fell into the chair. "YOU SHOULD'VE REALIZED! IT'S YOUR FAULT MY MOM STOLE MONEY!" Before anything could happen, Carlos was startled as he was picked up by Freight Train.

"Kid, you need to calm down." Freight Train turned Carlos too stare into his eyes as he was raised by his armpits easily. A little frightened at the height difference, Carlos immediately grasped around Freight Train's neck, hugging him.

Carlos cried. He cried into the neatly kept suit and clutched harder around the body guard. Hearing the man sigh and say, "It's alright little buddy," and pat his back made Carlos find out that this man was kind. Another thing he discovered was that he missed this feeling, the ability to cry into someone's arms, like he did with his father, which amplified more tears. He didn't want to give up the warmth that was surrounding his body.

"Mom, what's going on? You're taking foreverrrrr!" All eyes turned to the front door. A young boy with light brown hair, hazelnut eyes, and fashionable clothes walked in. "Whoa, am I bothering something here?"

"James, go back to the car." Mrs. Diamond said in a demanding voice.

"Why's this kid with a helmet crying? What a baby..." James shrugged and glanced at Carlos who had reduced his tears, face full of snot. "Eww! Gross! You're skin is hideous! Just look at your face! Mom! Let's go!" James said and motioned for his mom to get up.

"James I said go back to the ca-"

"WHAT YOU SAY PUNK!" Carlos leaped from Freight Trains arms and was ready to sock this kid's mug, but was caught once again. "Let me at him! Let me at him!" Struggling to get out of sturdy hands, arms waved ever so close to the other boy's face.

James stared at Carlos chocolate brown eyes and stuck his tongue out. This only enraged more fire within the Latino boy.

"ENOUGH!" Mrs. Diamond hollered. "James! Come over here, sit, and be quiet! Freight Train put Carlos down only until he's calm! Other child, get me some aspirin!" Antonio flabbergasted, pointed to himself wondering if he was the 'other child'. Once he received a nod, he left the living room. James went over to his mother's side and sat down, and at the same time Carlos was released.

Carlos sat back in his chair and crossed his arms and glared at the pretty boy who was practically ignoring his existence. 'What a jerk.' Carlos silently thought evil deeds he would have done to the kid. Antonio walked back in with an aspirin and water and gave it to the stressed out woman.

"Thank you sugar." She said and ingested the pill. Mrs. Diamond huffed and looked at her son who was currently staring outside at the limo.

"Honey, say you're sorry."

"No way. Not until he says sorry first." James stubbornly replied.

"WHAT? YOU STARTED IT!" Carlos got up but was stopped by a gigantic hand and was put back into his sitting position. Carlos looked up at Freight Trains face who shook his head 'no'. "…fine…"

"So you'll say sorry?" James looked to Carlos.

"Like hell I will!" It was Carlos turn to stick out his tongue. Hah! Revenge.

"The nerve!" James stood and grasped his mother's forearm, "Mom, let's leave this pigsty, it reeks of the poor."

Brooke stared absently back and forth between her son and Carlos. "That's it! I got it!"

"What did you get?" James was confused and stopped tugging on his mom's arm.

Ignoring her son's question, she directed herself to Carlos, "Hun, you'll be my son's playmate! That's how you'll work it off!" She smiled earnestly between the two boys.

"It won't work for all the money, but-"

"I refuse!" Carlos said rapidly.

"Mom! You can't be serious! He should just be a maid!" James also replied.

"I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY! I'LL GLADLY FIX YOUR LAWN, SHOVEL SNOW, CLEAN YOUR HOUSE, CLEAN YOUR BATHROOMS, ANYTHING THAN YOUR SNOOTY SON!"

"HEY WATCH IT SHORTY!" Carlos stared angrily at the conceited boy.

"That's wonderful! You agree wholeheartedly to be my son's playmate!" Mrs. Diamond clapped her hands together as in settlement of this deed, totally throwing away all what was said.

"WHAT!" both Carlos and James screamed together.

"We'll be back in one week. Get your stuff ready, and enjoy the time left with your family. You won't be seeing them for a while." Mrs. Diamond then got up and walked out of the house towards the limo. "Freight Train!"

As if on cue, Freight Train grabbed James by the waist and carried him like a sack of rice out the door, him and Carlos still continuing to make faces at each other.

"FINALLY, GLAD I'M OUT OF THAT POOR EXCUSE FOR A HOME!" James exclaimed.

"GOOD RIDDANCE, WOULDN'T WANT YOUR DOUCHEBAGNESS TO RUB OFF IN THIS HOUSE!" With a final glance to James shocked face, Carlos slammed the door shut.

Carlos turned around and came face to face with his brother. Antonio seemed to have listened to the whole conversation from the kitchen, and came to his brother's side once the others left.

"Carlos…."

The helmeted boy's huffs of breath gained regularity as he stared at his brother's forlorn face. Silence, everything finally starting to sink in. The realization of not being able to be with his brothers' hit him across the face like Joseph's punch. And realizing that, they're mother, they're own flesh and blood, didn't want them. A straight kick to the stomach. It hurt. Not his body, but his heart. Questions flooded his thought, 'Would they be okay?' 'Will they be safe?' And most of all, he thought, 'why? Why would their mom do this to them?' Carlos knees buckled and gave way, making him slide down the door. Picking up his hands, Carlos stared at them, as if reading an imaginary book.

"Oh no…no… Who'll take care of you guys? Who'll feed you? Who's going to clean? Who's going to-" in the midst of talking, Antonio embraced his brother.

"Just…..stop…."

Antonio started crying and hugged his brother tighter, Javi and Andres were actually eavesdropping from the stairs and ran down with tears on their faces and clutched on to their brother for dear life. Carlos raised his head and stared at the ceiling once more. But this time, he didn't cry. He couldn't…he wouldn't…he'd be strong.

"Y-you…g-guys.." Carlos voice cracked, he could feel them wanting to fall, but he wouldn't let them. "I'll m-make us…d-d-dinner….a-and…w-we can eat it.. like…like a family. O-okay?"

All the brothers nodded their heads in agreement as they proceeded to cry into Carlos' clothing. Everything will be alright because _no matter how hard it gets, always smile. _His father's voice coming back. Carlos wasn't able to keep it in, and let the tears slide down the sides of his face, but everything was okay, it would be alright. _It would be alright. Right?_

* * *

><p><strong>OKAY. I'LL BE HONEST WITH Y'ALL. I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THIS STORY IS GOING, I JUST HAVE THIS WHOLE PLOT, BUT I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. MY HANDS MOVE ON THEIR OWN. ALKDJFLAKDFJAKDFJAKDF.<strong>

**Well once again. If you'd like me to continue this, I will. But can you guys tell me what I can improve on? D: By using a review? That'd be great...**


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